Journalists adapt to technology

Tuesday

Nov 5, 2013 at 7:00 PM

Technology has become both friend and foe to those in the news business in recent years. In some ways, it has made life easier, allowing journalists to meet tight deadlines and electronically send pictures and stories straight to their editors from any place in the world. It has also made it much easier to communicate with sources and to research material for an article.On the other hand, many feel technology has also been the reason why so many magazines and newspapers have been dying a slow death in recent years. Nowadays, the public can get their news almost as it happens via Internet Web sites or social media sites. In addition, the advertising dollars that once made print media profitable have dried up and migrated to other outlets.To survive, journalists and the media outlets they work for have realized that they canít ignore or fear technology. Instead, they must learn to utilize technology whenever possible to their advantage.This was made evident after spending a recent afternoon listening to a Webinar about how to use social media. I listened, but resisted the amount of importance placed on connecting with others using the mediums. Somehow, placing credible news on these places didnít seem pliable to me, but for many it is and newspapers are using any way they can to reach people, forcing journalists to comply.So yes, I now have a Twitter account Ö oh my! I thought my daughter wouldnít find her jaw after it dropped. I was asked to register and did so, at the time not knowing the Twitter account may soon take the place of an email listed after a byline. So, basically, youíre in or youíre out and since I like to write, I guess Iím in.Freelance writer Theresa Luker blogged that more and more journalists are creating Twitter accounts so that they can stay connected with their readers. Hummm Ö I really have no problem with that since we have phones, email and wait†ó face to face communication!I really like it when someone makes it a point to call or come up to me to tell me they appreciated an article written about something they enjoy. Iíd much rather hear about it in a personís voice than read it in a text Öbut our world is changing rapidly and though Iím one of those still rolling my eyes at where itís taking us, Iím hanging on with both hands, not wanting to let go.But thereís a sense of individualism lost in social media. Iíve always felt that what makes a small town paper special are the unique things and people it reports on. But thatís a whole different column.As was verbalized in the Webinar, Tweeting is an important way for sports writers and others like weather reporters to break stories as they happen to their readers, which will, in turn, help them develop a loyal following.Twitter, Iím told, is also one of the best ways for reporters to stay on top of breaking news themselves or to discover what is trending or what is generating buzz that may be worthy of an article.Some journalists will add short status updates to their stories with links to the actual articles on their newspaperís or magazineís Facebook page. This is yet another way to generate traffic to a media outletís website.Luker says if journalists and the media outlets they work for want to stay relevant, they must learn to adapt to this new world of instant news. News outlets or reporters who refuse to do so will not last long enough in todayís world to regret their decision not to adapt.So adaptation it is Ö but weíll see where the next chapter leads us.Nancy Hastings is a staff writer for the Hillsdale Daily News. She can be reached at nhastings@hillsdale.net.